Mothering From The Heart of God

“She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.” – Proverbs 31:27-28

Have you ever wondered if you are a loving mother? A patient mother? A strong or courageous mother?

Have you ever questioned if your efforts are good enough or even doubted yourself as a Christ-like mother?

We certainly have. We have experienced the see-saw phenomenon of mothering. You know — one minute we are feeling bad about who we are as mothers and the next minute we are feeling proud and accomplished. No two days are the same. As a matter of fact, no two moments are the same. Celebratory and catastrophic moments seem to go back and forth like an exhilarating game of ping-pong.

One day the two of us were hanging out together to work on our book together and to let our children play together. Not only are we twin sisters, but we have toddlers close in age so we try to meet up regularly. So as we are hanging out with the little ones, it seemed as if the kiddos were on some mission to drive us nuts and we bit the bait.

The Lies Satan Whispers About Your Motherhood

We were both losing patience quickly as they repeatedly threw toys all around the room, ran away from us, whined aggressively, told us no, refused to eat or nap, ignored all of our requests, and got into every kind of mischief. We just couldn’t seem to get control of them as our emotions also spiraled out of control. The more we tried to get a handle on things, the more inadequate we felt as mothers and the more Satan’s lies rang loudly in our heads. You know.. that voice that says “Look at you, you can’t handle being a mother.”

The lies rang louder and louder “You’re not fit.” “You can’t handle more kids, you can barely handle one.” “You’re lousy at this.” “You’re no better than your mother.” “Do yourself a favor and get your tubes tied.” Do any of these lies sound familiar moms?

At one point, in the middle of our frustration, we looked at each other and just busted out in laughter. Laughing was the best way to diffuse the untruths we heard in our heads. We had to quickly encourage each other that we are certainly fit and have the right characteristics of God to help us mother our children in that moment.. and daily.

The Mother-Heart of God

It was in that moment that we had to focus on the many characteristics of God that make him the best example of how to mother. We bet many of you didn’t even realize God is a mother to us. Most of us tend to view him more as a father, but He mothers us too. Psalm 27:10 says – Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. You know what this says? It lets us know that God can do for us what fathers and mothers can do for us with no limits and beyond our wildest desires.

Let’s look at a few scriptures in the bible to see exactly how He mothers us and how we in turn can mother our children:

Isaiah 51:12 – I, even I, am he who comforts you..

Isaiah 66:13 – As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; and you will be comforted over Jerusalem.

These two passages are great examples that God (our father and mother) can offer us comfort whenever we need it. Because He comforts us, we know as mothers that we too can comfort our children. Whether they fall and hurt themselves, are scared of the dark, or are feeling sad about something, we can offer them comfort with a hug, warm words, or a gentle touch.

Psalm 145:8 –The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.

Sounds just like a great mother right? How many times do our kids do the worst act and tempt us to respond with yelling, finger pointing, huffing and puffing, or over-disciplining them? Very often we can imagine. But God is so patient with us. And we too can display this patience towards our children even if they do the most upsetting things. We can look to the Lord for a guide and reflect on all of the times we act out of line and how He looks upon us with care, compassion, and looks beyond our faults. Our children deserve that same grace.. don’t you think?

Lamentations 3:22-23 – The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Wow, this is a good one. Can you remember the last time you woke up the next morning mad about something your child did? Maybe they wrote with crayon all over the walls or broke your favorite mug. Maybe they stayed up all night crying or refusing to sleep in their own bed. Because of your own inability to forgive and move past their little offenses, you may wake up in a tizzy! We know—trust us—–we know!

Mothering With Grace

But our God never fails at starting every new day with a fresh clean slate with us. He quickly favors us with His love, blessings, and grace—-as if nothing ever happened the night before. Just like our loving Father, we too can display this kind of love to our children. No matter what they do—or don’t do—we can love them in spite of it all! We can wake up refreshed and cover them with a never-ending supply of love!

Psalm 32:8 –I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.

This scripture displays the teaching nature of God. Isn’t that what mothers do every day? We are constantly teaching our little ones new skills, new values, and new behaviors. Just like God mothers us by teaching us what to do and what not to do, it is our duty to teach our children the same. Even if they don’t listen. We still have the duty to teach them and watch over them as they learn and grow.

Proverbs 3:12 –For whom the Lord loves He reproves, even as a father corrects the son in whom he delights.

This scripture is great because God instructs us to do the very thing we often hate to do as mothers.. discipline our kids. When they go their own way or disobey us, we have a responsibility to correct them and give them wisdom to make better choices. Whether it’s refusing to share toys (as commonly seen watching our two kids) to staying home past curfew, we must discipline their wrong actions. God mothers us by disciplining us because He loves us. So show your kids love not just by hugging them, but by correcting negative behaviors too.

As you reflect back over these scriptures, think about how God mothers you and take those same attributes and rely on them in your mothering. Make a commitment today to love them, discipline them, teach them, comfort them, and be patient with them. No matter what hard days you may experience as a mother or what lies you may hear from Satan, you are well equipped to stand strong and mother from the heart of God.

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